Third Time's a Charm
by b00kr173r
Summary: After one failure and one success gone rouge, Lex Luthor has finally created a Kryptonian clone that will follow orders blindly. But will a night with her enemy change her loyalties, or will both the J.L. and the Y.J.L. fall apart at the hands of Luthor's Charm.
1. Chapter 1

_Third Time's a Charm_

"_Welcome, darling Charm, into the world," a deep, almost kind voice said. Charm opened her deep blue eyes and looked around her. She was standing in a white pod in a metallic room filled with other pods. In front of her was a tall man who had an air of authority, an emotionless red-haired woman, and a blue man with long pointed ears and horns. She blinked and tilted her head slightly. "My child, you have so much to learn," the man said almost caringly, "I am your father, Lex Luthor, and this is Mercy, your teacher." Luthor held out his hand to help her out of the pod. "Come with me, and I shall teach you about this world, what's wrong with it, and how you can fix it." Charm stared at his hand for a few seconds, then warily reached out and took it. _

_Charm lay on the ground with her arms over her head. "Please, Mercy, stop!" she cried. Mercy only continued to fire at her. "Your enemies won't stop shooting at you because you ask them to 'pretty please'." Charm moved her arms away and attempted to use her laser vision to cut off Mercy's gun-hand. Mercy shot her in the eyes. She screamed and flew upward, rubbing her eyes. She opened them again to fire, only to have bullets pelted at her face. She was covered with tiny bruises. She flew in low to just rip the gun off, but Mercy slapped her with it, sending her right into the wall. Mercy switched to a laser and continually fired at her until her boss said, "Alright, Mercy, I think that's enough for today." He walked across the training room to the hole in the floor and wall, where Charm was curled up into fetal position. Her black hair was singed and her clothes were cut here and there. Scorch marks covered her hands and face along with scratches and scrapes. Her eyes were red with irritation. "Charm," he said almost compassionately, "Can you tell me where you went wrong?" Charm blinked rapidly, trying to see clearly. "I don't know, Sir," she whimpered, "I didn't want to hurt Mercy, I thought I could maybe disarm her-," "And that," he interrupted, "Is where you went wrong. Your enemies aren't going to sit there and wait for you to decide how you're going to take them out. You have to have a plan before you even know you're going to be fighting that day. And to top that, you __asked__ Mercy to stop. As if you could pout and beg your enemies to not hurt you," his voice hinted venom and distain, "this was a disappointing day, Charm. The Light was ready to give you a mission, but you have failed your test. You must never show kindness or compassion or mercy to your enemies. Is that understood?" Charm nodded weakly. "Good," he smiled a cold, fake smile, "Why don't you get cleaned up? Lois Lane and Clark Kent are coming for dinner to interview us for the front page." Charm nodded and stood shakily. She knew the cover-story was her parents had been friends of Luthor. When her parents died in a plane crash, he adopted her to raise her as his own. She snuck outside and flew up until she was close enough to the sun for it to affect her healing process. A good fifteen minute soak and she was back to normal. She flew back down to earth and took a shower. She changed into a black dress shirt, dark wash blue jeans, and black converse. She brushed her short black hair out of her face and put on makeup. She looked at herself in the mirror and thought, This is so stupid, pretending to be a mere child. This is why I've become soft, acting like a kind girl instead of the weapon of mass destruction that I am. 'You will never be a real person, so you will never require emotions. Emotion is what is wrong with the world. Emotion is the main reason why only I am able to see the error that is Superman. You will one day remove that error, that blemish, and you, Charm, shall replace him and be the world's savior from that tyrant, parading around like a hero.' That was a lot to expect from someone only a week old, but Charm wanted more than anything to fulfill Luthor's wishes. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and smiled. Forget all that, she thought, right now, I am Chloe Marks-Luthor, cheerful, shy, kind Chloe. Everything Charm isn't, I am. She walked out of her room and into the dining hall. "-And here she is," Luthor said, gesturing to her. A tall woman with long black hair and kind eyes smiled at her. Then, the man turned. He seemed mild, humble, and kind. But there was no doubt in her mind, this man, Clark Kent, was Superman._


	2. Chapter 2

_Chloe Marks-Luthor_

"_Hi Chloe," Lois said with a smile, "Why don't we go chat in the lounge while the guys talk." Charm smiled and nodded, "Okay." On the way out, she heard Luthor say, "So, Clark, still a fan of Superman? Ah, well, I'll convert you yet, my friend." _

"_So, Chloe," Lois said, "Let's get business out of the way. Are you happy, living here with Lex?" Charm smiled brightly, "Yes, definitely. Mr. Luthor was already like a second father to me. Recently, my life has been like a storm and he's been like an oasis right in the middle of it." "That's very poetic," Lois said," Alright, I know this next question is a hard one to answer, so you don't have to if you don't want to, but can you tell me what your parents meant to you?" "Well, my mother was always all business all the time, but she always seemed able to make a few extra hours in the day for me." She smiled as if thinking back on a cherished memory, a single tear rolled down her cheek, "And my father was a fun loving jokester. He could make me laugh even when I felt like the whole universe was against me. His motto was 'Keep smilin'!' and he would always say 'The only thing that makes me happy is that precious smile of yours.' And stuff like that," Charm was now holding back a flood of tears, her chin quivered slightly, "When they left on that plane they said they'd be back as soon as they could, they just had to finish some work. My dad promised me a big surprise, although the one I got probably isn't the one he wanted to give me." She broke down into sobs. Lois scooted close to her and hugged her tightly, "I know, dear," she said soothingly, "it's hard to lose someone you love more than anything. But it gets a little better. A whole lot better if you believe in heaven." Charm sniffed a little then pulled out of the hug. She gave a bittersweet smile and said, "Thank you, Ms. Lane. That makes me feel better." She sighed and stared at the ceiling, "Besides, I don't think my dad would be very happy if I cried on his account." "Pardon me, ladies," Clark interrupted, "Dinner's ready." "Thanks, Clark," Lois said, standing up, "Let's go get something to eat, shall we?" Charm smiled and wiped the tears of her face, "Okay." This, she thought, Is working like a charm._


	3. Chapter 3

_Flying with the Enemy _

_Dinner was somewhat pleasant, Charm decided. Lex smiled, Lois made witty comments about Clark, and Clark told a few corny jokes. Clark. He was Superman. There was no doubt about it. He even had his Superman suit under the suit he was wearing. He was talking with his life-long enemy like they were the best of friends. She wondered if Luthor even knew about Clark. She was answered by the sound of a cell phone ringing. "One moment," Luthor said, standing and stepping into the kitchen. He leaned out the door after a second and said, "Chloe, it's for you." Charm stood and walked into the kitchen. Luthor whispered to her, "Go outside and cause a scene. Wear your suit, the one with his symbol. Then, when he tries to stop you, fly into the clouds and give him your life story. The truth. Make it a heart-wrencher." "Yes, Sir," Charm said. "Pretend to be like him and he'll believe you. Plant yourself in their little league and then unravel it." Charm nodded and ran to her room. Luthor walked back into the dining hall and said, "One of Chloe's friends. They'll probably be talking to each other for the rest of the night. You know, girls." "Clark sure as heck doesn't," Lois said dryly. "Hey," Clark responded. Lois shot him a smirk. Suddenly, the building shook. "Gosh," Clark said, "What do you think caused that, Lois? Lois?" She was already at the window, looking at the street below her. "I think that caused it," she said, pointing at a young girl with short black hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a white Project Cadmus style suit with a blue Superman symbol. She flew low, destroying everything in sight. "Excuse us, Mr. Luthor," Clark said, following Lois to the elevator, "But we have to go." "If you must, you must," Luthor said, "I hope to see you again, Clark." "I'm sure you will, Lex," Clark said smiling. As soon as the elevator doors closed, Superman began to take off his top suit. "Does it get hot in that thing?" Lois said. "Like you wouldn't believe," he answered. The doors slid open and he flew out, creating a breeze that blew Lois's hair. "Faster than a speeding bullet," She remarked. She ran out of the elevator and into the street. She was expecting a big fight scene, but what she saw was some random damage and an obvious lack of super-powered fighting. Lois looked up to see if they'd flown higher, but she couldn't see through the giant wall of cloud blocking her view. She sighed and phoned the chief, telling him to send a camera guy A.S.A.P. She looked up again in vain and whispered, "Dang it, Clark." _

_As soon as Superman arrived on-scene, Charm flew straight up until she was high above the clouds. A few seconds later, Superman was floating about six feet away from her. "Who are you?" he said, falling for the scared look on her face, "I don't want to fight you, just tell me your name." "My name is Charm," she said cautiously, "At least, that's what he calls me, his lucky Charm." "That's what who calls you?" "Mr. Luthor. He said that I am his greatest success, his greatest weapon against, against you." Superman continued to stare at her, so she started talking again, "I'm a clone, of you, but 'with tweaking' to put it his way. I'm the first of my siblings to be a success, to obey without asking, to blindly jump into danger when told to, to destroy anything or anyone unwanted; but I don't want to. It doesn't feel right, the things he wants me to do. Earlier today, he wanted me to attack Mercy like an enemy and destroy her, but I hesitated, and received a thorough beating for that from Mercy. But I didn't want to hurt her, I don't want to hurt people, but he keeps telling me that was all that I was made for." Charm looked at Superman straight in the eyes, shaking with fear and uncertainty she said, "Is that true? Is all that I am a weapon and nothing more?" She looked down at the clouds swirling just below her feet. Then, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw Superman smiling down at her."Why don't I take you to see someone who can answer that question from personal experience?" Charm nodded curiously. Superman held out his free hand. Charm stared at it for a moment before placing her hand in his. She smiled up at him and then, they were off._


	4. Chapter 4

_Brother and Sister_

_Charm wondered where they were going. Could this possibly be a trap? But no, she thought, Superman is too naïve for that. He believed her little sob story 'faster than a speeding bullet'. She smiled. _

_They had been flying for about an hour when Superman began to descend. They broke through the clouds and Charm gasped when she saw where she was. The Artic. The whole place shimmered and glowed. Charm caught herself in awe and quickly rid herself of the emotion. They landed on a ledge with a welcome mat in front of a large metal door. Superman lifted the corner of the mat and pulled out a key. Charm assumed there was something special about it, else he wouldn't leave it lying around. He opened the door and gestured for her to enter. She walked in cautiously; and couldn't help but stare in awe. Famous art covered the walls, Kryptonian relics on pedestals everywhere, an enormous sculpture of a Kryptonian man and woman, whom she assumed was his parents, and, to top it all off, a semi-fixed Titanic. "Is that, that the Titanic?" she said. Superman smiled, "The one and only. I haven't quite finished renovating it yet, but then again, I haven't had much time to spend on it lately." Charm turned to face him and said, "So, where is this person you wanted me to meet?" "I have to go get him," Superman said, "I thought it'd be best if you two met here, Then maybe he wouldn't make a scene." "Why would he make a scene?" she said curiously. "Well," he said, "I'll let him explain." He walked back to the ledge and said, "Wait here. You can explore a bit if you want, just obey the robots." And with that, he flew off. Obey the robots? She thought. She floated down onto the deck of the Titanic. It glimmered like it was new. She flew through the rows of art and read the engraving on the Kryptonian couple statue. They were indeed Superman's parents, technically her grandparents. She had never really thought of Superman as her father, although she guessed it was true. She wondered who the guy was that he wanted her to meet. She tried to go in some lab-like room, but a couple robots shooed her out. So that's what he meant by obey the robots. She thought about contacting Luthor, but decided against it. One of the robots would probably catch her and she'd be done before she even started._

_She was fiddling around with the navigation controls on the Titanic when she heard the door open. She walked out onto the deck. "Connor," Superman said, "Will you please just talk to her? She's technically your sister." "Conner, please? It would be so sweet," a girl said. "Fine," someone said, "Since you already dragged me here." Superman flew onto the deck followed by a pretty girl with green skin and red hair. A boy who looked a lot like Superman and a little like Luthor jumped down to the deck, landing beside Superman. "Hi," he said bluntly. "Um, hi," Charm said back, "I'm Charm." "Superboy," he said. "And I'm M'gann," the green girl said, "Superman said you had some questions that could best be answered by Superboy and he said he didn't want to go until I told he should and I'd come with him." Superman put a finger to his ear and said, "I'll be right there." He looked at Charm, "I've got to go," and flew off. Superboy stared at Charm emotionlessly. "Um," M'gann said, "So, you had a question?" "Well, I asked Superman what I was supposed to do. I mean, I can't help but to do what I was made to do, right?" "Wrong," Superboy said, "We can help you. M'gann can remove any subconscious programming from your mind and the Young Justice League can give you a home." "It'll be great!" M'gann said, "You'll live in the Cave with Zatanna and me and we can be friends and play games and…" M'gann continued to ramble on about wonderful things they could do together. Superboy leaned a little closer and whispered, "I have a friend who found out recently that he was a Cadmus clone made to infiltrate the Justice League and turn them over to Vandal Savage. He was devastated afterwards. We haven't found him since, but I wouldn't wish that upon anyone. If I hadn't been found, I don't know what Luthor would have done with me, but it wouldn't have been good. We want to help you, Charm. "Ok," Charm said, catching M'gann's attention, "I'll do it. Take out all the stuff Luthor's put in my head." "Great!" M'gann said, "I'll tell Superman and then we'll head to the cave. A few seconds later, "Done! Let's go. I can levitate you both to the-," "Uh," Charm said, "Actually, I can fly." "You can?" Superboy said. She answered by floating above the deck a couple feet. "Ok," M'gann said, "I'll levitate Connor and you fly." As they flew out of the Fortress of Solitude, Charm couldn't help but think how well this was going, it was working like a charm._


End file.
